Affiliations: [a] School of Marxism, Guangdong Industry Polytechnic, Guangzhou, China | [b]
School of Education, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou, China | [c]
Psychological and Behavioral Research Center of Cantonese, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou, China | [d] Guangdong University of Education, Guangzhou, China
Correspondence:
[*]
Address for correspondence: Kai Dou, School of Education, Guangzhou University, 230 Wai Huan Xi Road, Guangzhou Higher Education Mega Center, Guangzhou, China. Tel.: +8618819349858; E-mail: psydk@qq.com.
Abstract: BACKGROUND:Organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) is important to the development of an organization. Research into factors that foster OCB and the underlying processes are therefore substantially crucial. OBJECTIVE:The current study aimed to test the association between trait self-control and OCB and the mediating role of consideration for future consequence. METHOD:Four hundred and ninety-four Chinese employees (275 men, 219 women) took part in the study. Participants completed a battery of self-report measures online that assessed trait self-control, tendencies of consideration of future consequence, and organizational citizenship behavior. Path analysis was conducted and bootstrapping technique (N = 5000), a resampling method that is asymptotically more accurate than the standard intervals using sample variance and assumptions of normality, was used to judge the significance of the mediation. RESULTS:Results of path analysis showed that trait self-control was positively related to OCB. More importantly, the “trait self-control-OCB” link was mediated by consideration of future consequence-future, but not by consideration of future consequence-immediate. CONCLUSIONS:Employees with high trait self-control engage in more organizational citizenship behavior and this link can be partly explained by consideration of future consequence-future.
Keywords: Pro-organizational behavior, self-regulation, time orientation, workplace
